Fiendfire
by WelpLet'sWriteSomeRubbish
Summary: Wynlan Bourdelle's second year is not as normal as he would like, with a warning from the Sorting Hat, Durmstrang exchange teacher and a strange, magical device.
1. Chapter 1: Returning

**This is the first chapter of my first major-ish story, and the first one with an actual plot. It's Wynlan's Second year, and he struggles to stop an explosive plot.- Jack.** *.

The station was as crowded as Wynlan's first experience of it. People thronged and chatted, socialising and talking animatedly. It made Wyn uncomfortable, as he saw students noticing him and muttering comments to each other. Whether it was his mind imagining things or it was true, Wyn felt that this year would possibly be even worse than the last in terms of the unspoken hatred for him. He sighed, and thrusted his luggage onto the steaming train, Ice hooting happily. Setting off down the carriage, he sought his friends. They were in a compartment near the end, the door shut tight. Wyn drew it open. "I swear, if that's you again, Grainnè, I'll skin you alive." He heard Tobias' voice, and stepped inside.

"Bonjour, mon amis." Wyn smiled broadly, and was met by grins. The sight of the compartment was familiar and comforting to him. April was curled into a tight ball in a corner, finishing one sketch and beginning another, dressed already in her Hogwarts robes. James sat opposite her, kissing Iona. Tobias grinned by the door. "Honestly, you two need to slow down." Wyn joked at the romantic pair. Iona gave him the finger and laughed. Wyn took a seat beside April and nudged her. "What're you drawing?" He asked, inquisitive.

"Hey. I thought I'd draw you. I've painted you before, but I've never drawn you. I'll have to give you that portrait sometime." She showed him the sketch pad, blushing slightly as she always did when showing her work. Wyn's head was fully drawn, even in the short space of time. His eyes sparkled with a strange glint, and his smile was blurred. "It's brilliant." He smiled. She glowed. Praise was not something she often received. "You're eyes always shine like that. The shade changes, but that's always there. And you're smile is blurred because it's... sad. Weak, somehow." She explained her image. Wynlan was again amazed at how April always saw the hidden feelings behind his... facades.

"Hell!" Tobias yelled as the Hogwarts Express suddenly juddered into action, screeching along the rails. Iona looked up from James. James was comically annoyed. Wyn laughed and grabbed the back of his seat.*.

The ceiling of the Great Hall was a deep, navy blue, marred by clouds of rain and jagged bolts of lightning that crackled overhead. Headmistress McGonagall took her place at the lectern, its top adorned with an eagle in flight, its candles flickered, casting strange shadows across the teacher's table. "Welcome, welcome, simmer down. The First Years are about to come in, they don't want to be frightened by you lot." She said, voice jovial. A hush fell upon the four houses of children. The doors flew open and a tall man with flat black hair and round brown eyes strode in, a stream of First Year students following him. Where their eyes were full of nervous apprehension, his spoke of comfort and support. It was the Professor of Herbology, Neville Longbottom. He called out the names, one by one, in a strong voice that commanded the attention of the entire Hall. "Let's hope for some good Ravenclaws." April whispered to Wynlan.

"Touchè." He replied. Tobias stared at the empty table, yearning for food, whereas James stared at Iona, yearning for something very different. "Look at him. Lovestruck bloody puppy." Tobias shook his head. James ignored him, or was too engrossed in watching his girlfriend. His face looked as if he were in a dream; the large, hazel orbs of his eyes contrasted the dark ebony of his skin as they widened. April laughed softly to herself and twirled a lock of her auburn hair. The Sorting Hat crumpled its face and leapt into song:

 _Ah, little First Years,_

 _Soon you'll know my face,_

 _Get rid of all your fears,_

 _It's time to learn your place._

 _I am the Sorting Hat,_

 _That's my given name,_

 _There's no doubt of that,_

 _And no doubt you know my game._

 _I'll put you where you ought to be,_

 _I know which house you'll reside in,_

 _I know best you will see,_

 _So wipe your tears and grin._

"Huh. Not the best it's ever done." Wyn muttered. But the Hat wasn't finished. It lowered its voice to a harsh whisper, and continued:

 _But beware little beasties,_

 _As you tuck in to your feasties,_

 _A terrible plot is afoot,_

 _And Hogwarts may be shut,_

 _So beware the man who_ _appears,_

 _Heralded by false cheers,_

 _For a terrible plot is afoot,_

 _And Hogwarts may be shut._

The Hall was silenced, staring rapturously at McGonagall for explanation. She was on the spot, and couldn't really find one. "Take no heed, take no heed. I assure you, Hogwarts will not close. There is no plot." She attempted, at least.

"Well, for a warning, that wasn't a very good song." Tobias shrugged.

"How can you be so light hearted about this?" Wyn asked him.

"McGonagall just said it was nothing."

"And you _believe_ her?" Wynlan was incredulous.

"Sure. The Hat's old, probably going barmy." Tobias turned to the banquet that had just appeared, stuffing himself with sausages and mashed potatoes. Wyn knew there was no chance to get anything out of him now. He took a roll and bit into it, staring at the food he wouldn't eat.*.

Wyn took the stairs slowly, yet not too slowly, for fear of the staircase moving. "I can't believe Tobias." April said quietly, as Tobias was only a few steps ahead of them.

"Me neither." Wyn replied. His mind, and indeed many other students' minds, was racing. What plot, what man, what drums? His normally so confident brain could not even provide him a hypothesis. It was completely unknown. There was only one clue. One thing was for sure: Hogwarts couldn't close. If it did, Wynlan would have to suffer his father for a whole year, maybe more. He banished the dreaded thought to the recesses of his head. It would _not_ happen. "He must see sense eventually." Wyn murmured, more to himself than anyone.

The Ravenclaw doorknob spat out a riddle when Tobias reached it. "You will always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, but the future will never taint me. What am I?" Its voice was croaky yet matronly.

"A doorknob?" Came Tobias' sarcastic reply.

"Do you _want_ to get in or _not?"_ The doorknob snapped.

"Fine, fine. History." Tobias waved a hand. The doorknob made a snarl-like noise and the door itself swung open. Tobias strode in happily and collapsed on a sofa. Wyn couldn't help but laugh.*.

"Tobias, come on. Both of us need to go to bed." Wyn smiled down at his friend. Tobias lounged on a patchwork sofa of differing shades of blue.

"But _why_ do I have to sleep in my bed? why can't I just stay here, in my clothes, by the fire. It's too much _effort_." Tobias' last word was a groan. He still had his grin on, though.

"Honestly, last year I was making you get pit of bed, not in." Wyn laughed and pulled out his wand. " _Wingardium Leviosa_." He murmured, in the soft voice he often used with spells, as if they were animals to be gently coaxed into a task. Tobias clutched at the sofa's armrest as Wyn lifted him higher.

"Wait what? No, Wyn, I swear if you drop me-" Tobias said, laughing dinfully. Wyn walked forward, Tobias floating forward before him. He made his friend bump on the roof of the stairway as he made his way up to the dormitory, much to Tobias' amusement. Kicking the door open, he sent Tobias shooting into his bed. James roared with laughter at the sight.*.


	2. Chapter 2: The Replacement

**Bonjour! The second chapter is here. Basically nothing to say except please review and PM me ideas and constructive criticism.-Jack.*.**

Wynlan ran down the stairs, Tobias at his side. "I swear to you, Wyn, if we miss out on breakfast, I'll burn your Charms textbook." Tobias' smile undermined the threat. Suddenly, as they neared the end of it, the staircase rumbled and began to move. "Merde!" Swearing in French was definitely more comfortable to Wyn, and he shouted this word with uncharacteristic loudness as the pair leapt from their fleeing staircase onto the landing of another. They rushed down this one, getting to the great oaken doors of the Great Hall and skidding to a halt. Tobias couldn't stop in time, however, and went slamming through the closed doors. Wyn rolled his eyes, smoothed down his robes and strode into the Great Hall after his friend, brushing an imaginary piece of lint off his shoulder. Tobias was stood in the middle of the Hall whilst everyone stared, confused, at him. He turned round and looked at Wyn, who was the image of composure. His eyes were wide with embarrassment and he flushed red, something, Wyn remarked, he rarely ever did. "Ah, Bourdelle and Edgemill. Late. Nevermind, nevermind. It is, after all, the second day back." Headmistress McGonagall looked at them kindly and sent them to their seats. "Christ. She's changed." James said when the pair sat down beside him.

"Wyn, I can't believe you left me like that." Tobias muttered. Wyn shrugged. "Well, my robes were crumpled." He replied. Tobias smirked into his breakfast, which consisted of five sausages, two rashers of bacon, three eggs and four tomatoes. Wyn looked at his, a meagre two sausages and one rasher. He couldn't eat as much as his friends. "Before you begin, a little announcement please. You may have noticed that Professor Finnagan is absent. He will not be here for the rest of the year, unfortunately, due to business outside of school. So we have a Durmstrang exchange teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Albrecht. Please, welcome him accordingly." McGonagall announced with a small clap. A slender man with waxy skin covered in a pristine greatcoat stood up, his figure slender and unhealthily thin. His hair was a dark brown, nearly black, the same as his irises. The hair was a long, matted mane that spread down to a stubble on his weak chin. " _Durmstrang?"_ Tobias questioned disbelievingly. His face was contorted into mild yet trap horror. Wyn tilted his head. Something about the man, Albrecht, was... off. Suddenly a smattering of whooping cries of delight erupted, accompanied by applause. Wyn looked around for the source of the noises. A few students, all in different areas of the Hall, were welcoming the Professor wildly. Their faces were strangely serene, their eyes glassy, their nostrils flaring every now and then. Yet these looks flickered on and off; one minute normal, one minute odd again. "False cheers..." Wyn murmured. It seemed that the Sorting Hat's warning was already being realised. So why wasn't anyone else noticing, he thought. It was an odd situation indeed. The other Professors had the same look as the applauding students. Albrecht sat down suddenly, and the enthralled teachers and students broke of a weird stupor, looking dazed. April looked at Wyn, concern etched on her face. "Wyn... this couldn't be the warning, could it?" She asked.

"I don't know, April, but I think we'll soon find out." Wynlan's voice was still a murmur. He was lost in train of thought. Tobias made a weird noise, like a harrumph. "Some people, honestly. Welcoming a Durmstrang Professor? Jesus." He said. Wyn just stared at him. "Didn't you _see_ them? The cheering people, and the teachers... didn't you see their faces?" Wyn asked, incredulous at his friend's normality in the face of such a suspicious situation.

"I don't know what you're going on about." Tobias shook his head and shovelled food into his mouth. James agreed with him. Wyn gave the argument up before he began. Something was not right.*.

Wynlan and Tobias walked into Charms, Tobias' hand discreetly brushing against Wyn's. It was a simple movement, one that Wynlan would have just discounted as accidental if it weren't for the jolt it sent up his arm and the look on his friend's face. They took their seats beside each other at the front of the classroom, still a few metres away from their minute and seemingly ancient Professor Flitwick. "Alright, class! You're an advanced lot, so today we're taking a break from curriculum! I'm going to instruct you on basic glamour. Pull out your wands!" Flitwick's over-excitable nature was infectious, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were eager to begin. Despite the morning's events, Wyn was rearing to get started. Charms was always a source of amusement

to him. "Right then, right then, desks away!" Flitwick's wand twitched and the tables and chairs shot to the sides and stacked neatly in seconds. Cheerfully, the small Professor stood atop a wooden chair to better oversee the class. "Now. Glamours, as I'm sure I do not need to tell you, can hide and twist things, no matter how insignificant, into something else. Visually, that is. With a well placed glamour you can make a door appear as if it were simply an impassable wall. With a powerful glamour such as a Disillusionment Charm, you can make a whole creature or person disappear. Even though one of you," Flitwick winked at Wynlan, "Can already create a good Disillusionment Charm, today we will only be focusing on simple glamours. I want you to get into partners, yes, good. Now, face your partner. One of you, perform a simple spell to alter your partner's physical appearance. Simple, mind! No accidents!" the Professor left the students to get on.

"You do it." Tobias smiled.

" _Engorgio."_ Wyn uttered, the softness of his voice making Tobias smile in a different way. The spell itself made his left ear grow suddenly, till it had swelled to half the size of his head. "Jesus, that was a bit much." Tobias laughed. After the class had all disfigured their partners, Flitwick continued: "Brilliant! Good spells all round, but, ah, that _densaugeo_ was a little on the weak side, Griffiths." A Gryffindor flushed with embarrassment and the Ravenclaws collectively sniggered, save for Wyn and April, who voiced their amusement mentally. Griffiths had barely increased the size of her partner's teeth. "Okay. Now, I want you to create three swirls of equal length in the air with your wands. Then, poke the middle one and incant, _absconam!_ Point your wands at the area you wish to hide as you say it, and with feeling." The students attempted the spell. Wynlan performed it perfectly to the instructions, but to no avail. Tobias' ear was still huge. Worry nagged at his mind; he was not used to a charm he couldn't do. Yet Professor Flitwick pottered over and congratulated him. "Absolutely perfect! No trace!" He clapped excitedly.

"But sir, it hasn't worked." Wyn was confused.

"What do you mean, my boy?" Now Flitwick too was confused.

"I can still see it."

"So can I, and my glamour hasn't worked either." April's quiet voice floated over as she joined them. James, her partner, had green skin. "But this is... unheard of. Two students in the same class, both resistant to glamour?" Flitwick said, mostly to himself.

"Resistant?" Wyn's interest was piqued. Maybe this was why he could see himself when he applied a Disillusionment Charm, he wondered.

"Yes, yes. You see, along with the rods and cones of the eye, some people may be born with a mutated set of photoreceptors. We generally simply call them quadrilaterals. They allow one to see through glamours, though really powerful ones are more difficult. But it is _incredibly_ rare to have two people with quadrilaterals in Hogwarts, let alone in the same class." Flitwick looked utterly in awe of April and Wynlan. Wyn realised suddenly that this was the reason why he and April had seen what others hadn't in the Great Hall. "Are there any others in Hogwarts?" Wyn asked. He needed to know if any other people had seen what happened.

"Oh, no, no. You should be very proud of your abilities." Flitwick's eyes twinkled, but Wyn didn't feel very proud about this.*.

 **Okay this was shortish and my explanation for Wyn and April seeing through the glamour was weak but y'know I couldn't think of anything else. Sorry! Nevermind.- Jack.**


End file.
